Community : Threat to bloggers' freedoms

It is sometime since I blogged, feeling that I will only do so when I have something worth saying. However, I have been stirred into action by a threat which I believe could have an impact on every member of ecademy.

First, let me declare an interest. I am working on this issue for a client of Portcullis Public Affairs (the business that I run). However, despite my obvious commercial interest in the outcome, I believe the threat to all of us here in ecademy is serious enough that it would be irresponsible of me not to draw it to the community's attention.

The Digital Economy Bill, now making its way through Parliament, has thrown up some very serious issues, particularly relating to copyright. It seems that anyone who creates a link to publicly available information (say like that contained on a newspaper's website) risks infringing the website owner's copyright. In a move which smacks of outright bullying, already some content owners are forbidding publication of links to their websites without the prior payment of a license fee. Thus, those of us who wish to include a link to a newspaper story in our blogs to, say, illustrate or reinforce a point, could be viewed as copyright infringers, subject to penalties.

Quite simply, it is not possible to create a link without including the name of the website. Thus copyright infringement is inevitable. Our view is that the creation of such a link should be allowed under the 'fair use' provisions, as should the creation of a short headline or abstract indicating what the person following the link will find.

This threat has become much more serious following a recent amendment to the Bill. "As it stands now, the Bill, if passed into law, will allow disconnection, web blocking and could well see the death of open wifi" says the Open Rights Group, which is organising a demonstration in Old Palace Yard, next to Westminster Abbey on 24 March 2010.

If you are worried about the potential balkanisation of the web, then please sign the No 10 Petition mounted by campaigning organisation, right2link. An amendment (No 168) has been tabled by Lord Lucas for the Report Stage debate in the House of Lords on Monday 8 March. This sets out to clarify and reassert the right to link to publicly available information. Please indicate your support for this campaign, which is designed to preserve your blogging freedoms, by signing that Petition.

Thanks in advance for your support.

Charles Cockburn
Portcullis Public Affairs